


Gay and Merry Holidays

by kopycat_101



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: ALSO MAX, Also Alix Nathaniel and Marc, Banter, Best Friends, Bisexual Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Boys In Love, Buddhist Character, Canon Jewish Character, Childhood Friends, Confessions, Cute, Dorks in Love, Established Adrien Agreste & Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Established Relationship, Female Friendship, Flirting, Fluff, Friendship, Gay Marc Anciel, Gay Max Kanté, Getting Together, Holidays, I'm giving Kim more of a backstory bc it's what he deserves, Jealous Lila Rossi, Jewish Holidays, Kim is Peak Himbo, M/M, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Max is a Moronsexual for his best friend, Minor Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Minor Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Slash, Teen Crush, Teen Romance, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28017321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kopycat_101/pseuds/kopycat_101
Summary: Alix and Nathaniel debate over lunch who’s going to win at dreidel spinning during dinner. Marc’s excited at being invited to the celebration by his boyfriend, his first time observing Hannukah.The conversation takes a quick turn to the last two occupants at their lunch table when Kim states, “Dating someone who thinks your religion and culture are interesting is totally awesome. Wish I had that.”“I think your religion and culture are interesting,” Max replies automatically, before seemingly realizing what he’d just said.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Alix Kubdel & Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Alya Césaire & Alix Kubdel, Marc Anciel & Alix Kubdel & Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Marc Anciel/Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Max Kanté & Alix Kubdel & Lê Chiến Kim, Max Kanté & Classmates, Max Kanté & Lê Chiến Kim, Max Kanté/Lê Chiến Kim, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 78
Collections: MarcNath Fics!





	Gay and Merry Holidays

**Author's Note:**

> I'm supposed to be finishing a 20 page research paper, but I realized that technically Hannukah has already started. As a Nathaniel fan, I knew I had to write something related to the Jewish holidays.

* * *

“Ready to get your butt kicked at dreidel at dinner tonight?” Alix asks with a smirk, sliding into the seat across from Nathaniel at the lunch table.

“You’re on,” the redhead grins back at his best friend, full of confidence.

“Oh? Alix making a dare with Nathaniel, and him actually accepting?” Kim asks, grinning widely between the two. “This is new.”

“We always trade the title of dreidel champion between us. And I’m definitely winning it back this year,” Nathaniel says while nodding seriously.

“Dream on, Nath,” Alix grins back at him sharply, clenching a fist. “I’ll finally win it twice in a row, and you can’t stop me!”

“What if someone else wins?” Marc points out on Nathaniel’s left, smiling between Alix and his boyfriend.

Max nods next to Kim, grabbing onto the jock’s meaty bicep to lean around his larger form and speak to the rest of the table. “Statistically, there’s always the possibility of a third party winning, though small.”

“That’s true. For all you know, I could be the new dreidel champion,” Marc says teasingly, knocking his shoulder into Nathaniel’s slightly with a gentle smile.

The redhead laughs brightly. “Go ahead! I wouldn’t be mad if you did.”

“You’re just saying that since Marc’s your boyfriend,” Alix teases with a smirk, the redhead’s cheeks flushing pink.

“I mean,” the artist starts awkwardly, giving a shy smile up at the writer, “can you really blame me? Besides, it’ll be Marc’s first time attending Chanukkuh. Maybe beginner’s luck will help.”

“If it does, I won’t really complain, though I’ll feel bad for taking the win from Nath,” Marc giggles, threading his hand with Nathaniel’s and kissing the pale knuckles, causing the other to blush even darker. The redhead’s cheeks were a deep pink that managed to make his freckles disappear.

Max smiles, and Kim coos, and Alix gives a fond but exaggerated roll of her eyes. “You two are gonna give us cavities, I _swear_.”

“Sounds like a you problem,” Nathaniel shoots back, sticking his tongue out at his best friend.

“You two are, like. Couple goals,” Kim says with a laugh, grinning wide at the comic making duo. “Seriously, the fact that you’re sharing stuff like this is really cool. Learning a whole new religion is tough.”

The jock is incredibly sincere, exceedingly so, his grey eyes soft as he looks at his friends. It makes perfect sense, considering Kim’s family immigrated to Paris from Vietnam when he was five. The Lê Chiến family are very traditionally Vietnamese, even if Kim’s well-versed in all the Christian holidays most of the rest of the class take part in.

“Kim…” Nathaniel starts quietly. “I—thanks.” The rest of the table are also looking at Kim quietly, consideringly, and the jock just blinks back at them in confusion.

“Uh…Yeah, no prob?”

“It _is_ hard, Kim. But I think it’s more than worth it,” Marc says, squeezing Nathaniel’s hand in his and smiling softly at his boyfriend. “Being Jewish is an important part of Nathaniel, and I want to work to support and understand that. And learning about Judaism is something I’m enjoying too.”

“Marc…” is the artist’s reply, soft and lovestruck, his cheeks rapidly filling with a blush.

“See? Couple goals,” Kim stage-whispers to Alix and Max, sitting on either side of him. Max snorts, Alix snickers, and both Marc and Nathaniel fall into embarrassed-but-pleased giggles. “’nyways, yeah. Dating someone who thinks your religion and culture are interesting is totally awesome. Wish I had that.”

“I think your religion and culture are interesting,” Max replies automatically, before seemingly realizing what he’d just said. He snaps his mouth shut, brown eyes blown wide behind his glasses and face darkening with a blush.

“Awwww, really?” Kim asks, perking up and beaming at the other.

“W-Well…I…” Alix wheezes, expression one of pure delight at the look of mortified horror on the tech wiz’s face. Marc and Nathaniel’s giggles redouble in strength, as they all but watch Max devolve into gay panic, the poor bespectacled boy blushing up to his ears. “Y-Yes, of. Of course.”

“I’ll invite you over for the New Year then! I know I brought you cakes from Bodhi Day yesterday, but it’s totally different to drink tea and eat cakes with company,” the jock babbles, bright and enthusiastic. “I mean, you’ll be totally lost otherwise, ‘cuz we go over the sutras in Vietnamese, but I could find translations for you and stuff!”

“N-No, no, it’s fine. No need for that. I can, um. I can have Markov help me find translations,” Max says stiffly, voice flustered and even squeakier than his usual high tones.

“Great! I’d love to have you there!” Kim chirps. “Ooh, and you can meet my family too!”

“I-I already have…?” Max asks rather weakly, looking like he’s going to have a heart attack. “Kim, I’ve—I’ve been to your parents’ restaurant plenty of times before…”

“Well, yeah,” the jock starts slowly, voice thick with confusion. “But I mean, it’s different when you’re dating someone, right? I’d have to re-introduce you to them as my boyfriend.”

Marc and Nathaniel gasp like they’ve reached a plot twist in a soap opera, clutching at each other’s arms and leaning forwards. Alix hoots and punches the air with an excited “HELL YEAH!” Max stares back at Kim with wide eyes and a beet-red face, looking like he was a computer blue screening.

“Uh, Max…?” Kim asks softly, suddenly looking incredibly self-conscious, angular brows pulled down and mouth twisted awkwardly. “You…You good?”

Max takes another ten seconds before managing to get out a strangled, “Yes.”

“Do you actually want to date me…?” Kim asks slowly and nervously. “’Cuz it sounded like an offer to me, earlier, but like. I’m also super dumb, and I might’ve totally misinterpreted—”

“N-No. No, you…You interpreted it quite accurately,” Max says, finally raising his gaze to meet Kim’s squarely. “I—I very much do want to d-date you.”

“Oh. Good,” the jock sighs, the tension leaking from his shoulders, expression turning sheepish. “Thought I really messed that up, for a sec, heh.”

The two smile at each other for a few seconds, exceedingly soft and relieved and lost in their own little world, before Marc and Nathaniel start clapping, and Alix starts wolf-whistling. Then Kim and Max’s expressions turn flustered.

“Damn, boys. I know there’s a saying about the holidays being ‘gay and merry’, but I didn’t think you’d all take it so literally,” the skater snorts, grin wide and toothy as she elbows Kim in the side. “Congrats, though.”

“Congratulations, you two!” Marc agrees with a beaming grin.

“Congrats,” Nathaniel agrees with a laugh and a double thumbs up.

“I’m unsure how we got to this point,” the bespectacled boy starts, scratching at a flushed cheek and smiling up at Kim. “But I’m very much glad we did.”

“Me too,” Kim agrees, voice as warm as his smile, a sunrise breaking out across his face.

“Another couple being disgustingly sweet and wholesome? I can’t hang out with _anyone_ in our class anymore,” Alix says jokingly. The boys all burst into laughter while she gives an exaggerated and playful scowl at them. “You’re all hooking up left and right, I swear. Almost all our class is dating now.”

“Rest in pieces, Al,” Nathaniel tells her with a salute, blue eyes gleaming with mirth. “Your aro-ace ass keeps us all in line, but this is the price.”

“And this is why I deserve to win dreidel tonight,” she sniffs imperiously with her nose in the air, attempting to fight off a smirk and losing. “As a reward for my sacrifices.”

The artist shrugs and points out, “Well, I’m pretty sure you won the Kimax bet with Alya, right? That’s your reward.”

The skater instantly surges to her feet, a wild and wide smile on her face. “You’re right! Oi, Alya, pay up…!” she hollers across the cafeteria, skating over to the blogger’s table like a speeding bullet. The blogger in question was looking like she was having a lively debate with her boyfriend Nino, Adrien and Marinette whipping their gazes to and fro to watch their best friends.

“There…was a betting pool on us?” Max asks, sounding less surprised and more exasperated and disappointed of this new fact come to light.

“It’s a thing Alix does with everyone,” Nathaniel explains with an apologetic grimace. “Don’t take it personally, she did it with me, too.”

“She made and won the bet over when Nath and I would get together as well, if I recall,” Marc sighs, taking his boyfriend’s hand and rubbing his thumb soothingly over the freckled knuckles.

“Well, if she’s winning money on us, she should split it with us!” Kim cries, also getting to his feet. “Wait here, Max—”

“Kim, wait—”

But the bespectacled boy can’t stop the jock bounding away like an oversized puppy chasing a thrown stick. Max sighs, long and loud, an expression of fond exasperation on his features.

“Rest in pieces, Max. You’re dating a himbo,” the artist tells him, with faux seriousness. Besides Nathaniel, Marc snorts and slaps his shoulder.

“Don’t tell Max that, it’s rude.”

“Even if it’s the truth?”

“ _Especially_ if it’s the truth,” Marc says with a smile and a laugh. He turns to Max, somewhat apologetic, with, “Still, I’m sure you can handle him. You’ve been friends for a long time before this.”

“I have. We’ve been best friends since the start of Dupont,” Max admits, brown eyes going soft like melted chocolate as he gazes across the cafeteria, watching the Vietnamese boy debate with both the skater and blogger with exaggerated movements of his arms. “He’s strong and loyal. I wouldn’t trade him for anyone in the world.”

“Well, you don’t have to. You’re now officially dating him,” Nathaniel points out, with an encouraging smile. He grabs Marc’s hand, shooting a soft and gooey grin at his boyfriend. “Believe me, dating one of your best friends is pretty amazing.”

Marc’s face flushes pink, and he giggles. “It is.”

Kim’s voice booms across the cafeteria then, a loud declaration of, “ME AND MAX ARE DATING NOW, AND YOU SHOULDN’T BE MAKING MONEY OFF OF THAT, SO FORK IT OVER!”

Max gives an embarrassed little laugh, not looking surprised at all, even as he sinks a bit in his seat and covers his face with a hand. Nathaniel snorts, noting, “I’m pretty sure the entire school will know about this by the end of the day.”

“Considering the speed of gossip disseminated? Of course it would,” the bespectacled boy says, longsuffering, but smiling.

“Don’t worry. We’ll beat Alix in dreidel for this,” Marc offers kindly. “Though I’m afraid you’re on your own with talking with Kim.”

“Thank you. That’s completely fair and valid.”

“You can always withhold hug and kiss privileges from him?” Nathaniel points out. Max promptly makes the vocal equivalent of a key smash. The writers covers his snort with a hand, and the artist sheepishly goes on with, “Oooor not. New relationship, so no kissing yet. Got it.”

“I,” Max starts, in a commendably even tone, “am going to go now.”

“GIVE ME THE TWENTY EUROS, ALIX,” Kim hollers from across the cafeteria.

“Valid,” the redhead says. “I think they’re about to start a dare. Or a fight. We should all get out of the hot zone.”

* * *

The three boys quickly gather their things and speed-walk out of the cafeteria and towards their next class. Max waves goodbye to the comic book duo before they part ways, as Nathaniel usually likes to walk Marc to his class after lunch. “Have a good Hannukah! And…thank you.”

The couple look at each other with surprised smiles.

“We didn’t do much,” Marc demurs sheepishly.

“Thanks anyways, though. We’ll be sure to have a good one,” Nathaniel nods at the bespectacled boy.

“Max…!” Kim calls out somewhere down the hall. “I’m sorry for being loud in the cafeteria! Where are you? I wanna apologize and stuff…!”

“Good luck with your himbo,” the artist says brightly, taking his boyfriend’s hand and literally running off, laughing loudly while Marc giggles and quickly catches up. Max can only shake his head, smiling helplessly, before he’s besieged by Kim babbling apologies to him.

Max wouldn’t trade it for the world, though. Kim is loud and impulsive, but Max has known this for the past three years.

He takes Kim’s hand in his—something he’s always wanted to do, but has been too cowardly to go through with, before now—and the jock instantly shuts his mouth and blushes pink.

“I forgive you,” the bespectacled boy says, much too helplessly fond and in love. “Just please don’t start any fights or dares over this.”

“Uhhhhh,” Kim starts, voice jumping an octave. “R-Right. Sorry.”

“Let’s just get to class,” Max smiles kindly up at the other, taking their connected hands and tugging towards their destination. Kim, who’s easily twice Max’s size, doesn’t budge, but it doesn’t take him long before he’s following the shorter boy.

They walk through the halls without saying anything. Before they enter class, Kim blurts out, “I like us holding hands.”

Max flushes, pleased and filled with a pulse of warmth. “I do too.”

It’s Kim’s turn to lead them with their intertwined hands, eager as can be and beaming like the sun. Max is flustered when Rose squeals and loudly congratulates them, babbling about how cute Max and Kim are as a couple. Juleka nods along with her girlfriend, smiling wide and looking genuinely happy for them.

The rest of their classmates are full of well-wishes as well, minus Chloe and Sabrina, though the shy redhead gives them both a little thumbs up when Chloe isn’t looking. Alix in particular looks as smug as can be when she strolls into the room and sees the new couple being showered in congratulations. Even Alya, who lost the bet over Kim and Max, is happy for them with an excited, “Congrats!”. It seems like there wasn’t any hard feelings between Alya and Alix, either, as the two girls just nodded and grinned at one another.

“If anyone calls them getting together a Christmas miracle, I’m officially obligated to kick your teeth in!” Alix calls to the class at large, rather cheerily, at complete odds with the violence of her declaration.

“Wh-why?” Lila asks, incredibly confused and subtly backing away from the skater, brows furrowed. “That…seems like a reaction that’s way out of hand…”

“Because I am a man of science and an atheist, and Kim is Buddhist,” Max offers to the oblivious transfer student with a raised brow. Honestly, if Lila were to ever pay attention to anyone but fawning over Adrien, she’d know this. It’s not like Max ever hides his belief in science having all the answers, nor does Kim ever hide his Vietnamese heritage or talking about his family’s traditions and holiday celebrations.

Even Chloe, who is self-absorbed and thinks all Asians are the same, understands that Kim and Marinette celebrate different holidays versus the rest of the class. Then again, Lila comes from Italy, which is a strictly Roman-Catholic country. Maybe she’s never met anyone that wasn’t Catholic or Christian before moving to Paris, thus her ignorance.

“Oh…Okay,” Lila says with an awkward if polite smile, but her eyes are still full of confusion. She then doesn’t say another word on the matter, which is rather odd, since Max has noted that Lila seems to enjoy the sound of her own voice and could speak at length about her experiences.

“Hey, I’ve got a question,” Adrien starts, even raising his hand like he’s participating in class. “For Nathaniel and Alix, specifically, about Hannukah…?”

“Sure, go for it,” Alix nods, crossing her arms. A very bemused Nathaniel makes his way to stand next to his best friend.

“Dreidels are like, spinning tops, and you play with them during Hannukah, right…?” the blond model asks haltingly. At Nathaniel and Alix’s nod, he goes on with, “Will playing with Beyblades give you an advantage with dreidels?”

The class bursts into a cacophony of sound at that question. Lila and Chloe gape at Adrien like this is the first time they’ve ever seen him before. Marinette is wide-eyed and has a hand clapped over her mouth, her form shaking with silent mirth. Nathaniel wheezes, his face going beet red as he clings to Alix’s shoulder. Next to Max, Kim howls with laughter.

Adrien smiles awkwardly all the while, pink in the face from embarrassment.

“I’ve never heard that question before,” Alix snorts while Nathaniel wheezes and slaps her desk in mirth. “Considering Beyblades can spin by using a launcher and you spin dreidels by hand? Hard to say, but probably not.”

“Uhhhh, thanks. It was just an honest question,” the model asks with a sheepish laugh and smile, raising his hands up almost in supplication. “Sorry for being dumb.”

“Eh, its not dumb. You’re good,” the skater waves him off.

“Al. Al, we—” Nathaniel giggles out, “we _have_ to play a round of Beyblade at dinner. Holy shit.”

“You and Marc are gonna gang up on me. I’m going to be beaten by literal weebs,” Alix says long-sufferingly, looking up at the ceiling. “Why me.”

“Bro! _We_ could play Beyblades!” Nino says to Adrien excitedly, clapping a hand on the blond’s shoulder.

“Can we?” Adrien asks, perking up from his slightly hunched posture, green eyes gleaming. “It’s been _ages_ since I’ve last played!”

“Hell yeah, bro! I’ve still got my old stuff, too. C’mon, let’s all figure out a time you can come over—”

The two boys huddle together with a bemused Alya and Marinette. Chloe gapes at them in complete offense, sputtering out a weak, “Utterly ridiculous…!” while Sabrina pats her shoulder sympathetically. Lila meanwhile stares at the little huddle around Adrien with a blank expression, looking like she’s trying very hard to hide the jealousy that burns in her green gaze.

“Hey, Max. Do _you_ have any Beyblades…?” Kim asks Max curiously, after finally settling down in his seat.

Max blinks back at his boyfriend, adjusting his glasses and knowing, no. He doesn’t. He never really had many friends when growing up, much less friends to play games with, nor did he have much interest in things outside of science and mechanics. So he simply says, “No.”

“Me and Nino and Mari used to play. I could dig up my old stuff for you to try,” the other offers kindly, giving Max a warm smile that warms his bones.

“If you’d like. I’m a bit curious, now,” Max admits, heart skipping a beat when Kim gently squeezes his fingers.

“It’s not anything special, but it’s fun,” Kim admits, surprisingly self-conscious in the way he sounds. “You can show me one of your old games later, too, to try.”

“That sounds reasonable and something I’d like to do,” Max assures his boyfriend, feeling surprisingly giddy.

Boyfriend. Kim was his boyfriend. It feels oddly ethereal and impossible, thinking it. But it’s true.

Max can’t wait to experience new things with his new boyfriend, share more interests and activities, share further time together. He can’t wait to feel Kim take his hand in his, again and again, something he has always ached for before today.

And with the way Kim looks back at him, Max knowns with one hundred percent certainty that Kim feels the same way.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise! We went from Marcnath straight into Kimax! Not sure how that happened, but I'm not complaining.
> 
> Hannukah is technically today 12/11, but Jewish holidays start the night before the calendar day. Also, Bodhi Day is a Buddhist holiday that was on 12/8. Happy late holidays!
> 
> Note: I am goyim, so if you are Jewish and have any corrections for me, please feel free to tell me in the comments!


End file.
